The 2023 Musclecontest Japan Pro bodybuilding show is scheduled to take place on the weekend of Feb. 18-19 in Kawasaki, Japan. Twelve IFBB Pro League Bikini competitors are set to compete, and this year’s competitions are more important than ever thanks to the new qualification system for the 2023 Olympia.
2023 Musclecontest Japan Pro Show Roster
The full roster is below, with names in alphabetical order:
- Min Hee Baek
- Anna Paula Baggio
- Sara Choi
- Shanae DiCicco
- Toniesha Gaddis
- Asaka Kimura
- Nittaya Kongthun
- Maiko Otsuka
- Yurika Shigemoto
- Jennifer Spreadbury
- Karen Yuen
- Rosofia Tasaico Ngai Cho Yin
Outside of previous Olympia champions and the top three finishers from the 2022 Bikini Olympia, only contest winners will qualify for the 2023 Olympia.
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Athletes to Watch
Below are four competitors to keep an eye on as potential champion contenders in Japan:
Sara Choi
Choi may be a favorite to win this contest because she’s one of the veterans in this lineup. She turned pro in 2018, and she won the 2019 Monsterzym Pro in her rookie season. She was also crowned champion of the 2021 Asia Grand Prix.
Choi has been on the Olympia stage twice. She placed 15th in 2020 and tied for 16th in 2021. Her last contest was the 2022 Monsterzym Pro, where she finished in second place to winner Ji Bin Park.
Nittaya Kongthun
The 2020 Musclecontest Japan Pro winner will seek her second win at this contest and in her pro career. Kongthun won this show in 2020 to earn her Olympia debut, where she ranked 13th.
Kongthun competed six times in 2022. Her best finish was at the 2022 Sheru Classic Mumbai Pro — runner-up to champion Elizaveta Dementeva. The matchup between her and Choi could be intriguing for the judges and fans in attendance.
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Shanae DiCicco
DiCicco has yet to earn a pro victory, but she’s shown improvement each year since first competing professionally in 2019. She came in third place at the 2022 Dallas Pro, and she scored a fifth-place result at the 2022 Mile High Pro contest. If DiCicco wins this show, it would give her close to nine months to prepare for her Olympia debut.
Asaka Kimura
Kimura will enter this contest for the third straight year. In 2021, she placed sixth, but she jumped up to second in 2022. That contest was won by Sally-Anne Kato. Kimura placed third in the 2022 Tokyo Pro. Even though she’s only competed in three contests, she’s been in the first callouts for all of them.
With more time for her muscles to develop and focus on weak areas, Kimura may present a much-improved physique in 2023. If she were to win, it would be both her first pro victory and Olympia qualification.
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Featured Image: @sara_c2_ on Instagram
